The South-link line () is a line of the

Taiwan Railways Administration Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is a railway operator in Taiwan. It is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services ...

running across the southern tip of the

island of Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, News media, press and Western literature, literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of ...

, connecting the eastern and western coasts. It is 98.2 km long, of which 81.4 km is single-track. The section between Nanzhou and

Linbian Linbian Township ( []; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Lìm-piên-hiông'') is a township (Taiwan), rural township in western Pingtung County, Taiwan. It lies at the mouth of the Linbian River, facing the Taiwan Strait. It is known for its year-round warm cl ...

railway stations was upgraded from a

single-track railway A single-track railway is a railway where trains traveling in both directions share the same track. Single track is usually found on lesser-used rail lines, often branch lines, where the level of traffic is not high enough to justify the co ...

to a dual-track railway while the other sections remains in single-track. In conjunction with electrification works on the line, train platforms are being lengthened and upgraded with better facilities.

History

Japanese authorities had planned for a railway running between Pingtung and Taitung, but were unable to complete it before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

ended. After the Kuomintang-led government took control, surveys were completed in 1947, 1958, 1963, 1968, and 1976, delineating ten possible routes for the South Link Line. Construction began in July 1980, and was completed in November 1991. Upon its inauguration on 16 December 1991, the South Link Line became the newest standard rail line operated by the TRA, and created an around-the-island railway network. The line began became accessible for public use in February 1992. In August 2009, sections of the line were badly damaged by floods triggered by

Typhoon Morakot Typhoon Morakot, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Kiko, was the deadliest typhoon to impact Taiwan in recorded history. The eighth named storm and fourth typhoon of the 2009 Pacific typhoon season, Morakot wrought catastrophic damage in Taiwa ...

. The line was reopened on December 30, 2009. In September 2010, service was temporarily suspended due to

Typhoon Fanapi Typhoon Fanapi, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Inday, was a damaging and deadly typhoon that struck Taiwan and southeastern China in September 2010. It was the eleventh tropical storm and fourth typhoon of the very inactive season. The stor ...

. The Taimali River () had risen substantially and washed away of railway embankment. The line was reopened on September 29, 2010. The Taiwan Railway Administration plans to spend an additional

NT$ The New Taiwan dollar (code: TWD; symbol: NT$, also abbreviated as NT) is the official currency of Taiwan. The New Taiwan dollar has been the currency of Taiwan since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar, at a rate of 40,000 old dollars ...

240 million on a double-tracked, bridge over the Taimali River to avoid future problems with flooding. Electrification works on the section from

Fangliao Station Fangliao () is a railway station of the Taiwan Railways Administration at the junction of the Pingtung line and the South-link line. It is located in Fangliao, Fangliao Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan. Overview The station has two island platfo ...

Zhiben Station Zhiben () is a railway station on the Taiwan Railways Administration South-link line located in Taitung City, Taitung County, Taiwan. History The station was opened on 15 July 1985. Around the station * Zhiben Wetlands See also * List of r ...

was completed in December 2020 with the first passenger services operating on the 20th. It is expected to be fully completed by March 2024.

Stations

Note: Central Signal Station - Guzhuang Station passes through Daren of

Taitung County Taitung County (; Mandarin pinyin: ''Táidōng Xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Tâi-tang-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Thòi-tûng-yen''; Paiwan: ''Valangaw'';lit:Eastern part of Taiwan) is the third largest county in Taiwan, located primarily on the island' ...

, Original set Pu'an Signal Station, Now Stop working.

References

TRA routes Railway lines opened in 1991 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Taiwan 1991 establishments in Taiwan Southern Taiwan {{Taiwan-rail-transport-stub